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COMMANDER! OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 



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WAR PAPER 28. 



Recolleetioris o| a ^urrinqer. 



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Military ©rder of {\}q bo^al be^ion 



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United ^fafes. 



dOMMAWDEI^Y OF THE Dl^TI^ldT OF dOLUpii\. 



WAR PAPERS. 



28 



li^ecoUedions of a Bu,mm-cr. 



PREPARED BY COMPANION 



Major 



CHARLES E. BELKNAP, 

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Late U. S. V. 



READ AT THE STATED MEETING OF JANUARY 5, 1898. 



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§e^aII^rti0tt^ of a lumrn^r* 



When Sherman's army moved out of the city of Atlanta, 
Ga., November i6, 1864, the term "Bummer" had not been 
coined; and a few days later, when it came into existence as a 
term or name, was applied only to those details from regiments 
and brigades whose duty it was to gather in the "forage" of the 
country passed through for the subsistence of the men and 
animals that made up the army. There was a limited supply 
of food in the trains of -each corps and in the haversacks of 
the men, but we were to take no chances on its holding out 
until another "base of supplies" could be reached. 

The writer that fall was eighteen years of age, with more 
than two years of active service to his credit, from the rank 
of private to that of captain. During the preceding years 
there had been some opportunities to forage from the planta- 
tions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. In a 
sort of mild and genteel way, pigs and chickens had been 
chased about the farms and. surreptitiously inveigled into 
camp, to the great .scandal of regimental, brigade and divi- 
sion commanders; but now had come the time when the men 
were commanded to not Qnly chase the chickens and pigs, but 
the cows and sheep as well. Everything on foot and wing, 
all the things of the earth and air, were "contraband of war." 
The first day out details of men were made out of each 
regiment "to go out foraging," each under command of a 
lieutenant or captain, each acting independently of the other. 
There was but little left to forage in the country about At- 
lanta. Many of these men were physically and morally unfit 



for the duty. Two, three and often more of these small in- 
dependent parties came together al)out the cabin of a ])overty 
stricken "Cracker" and the combats tliat ensued for the pos- 
session of the hve stock, mostly "mountain shad," threatenisd 
for the time being to destroy tlie l)rotherly love said to exist 
between the various regiments of tlie army. It a ricli find 
was made, tlie men were loaded with all they could carry, and 
the torch did away with the balance to the great distress of 
those who got in a few minutes later. Tlien again these small 
])arties were not made u]) to fight, and when a half dozen ot 
"Wheeler's Critterbacks" got after them all the foragers of 
the corps took to the woods for safety; in their wild flight 
chickens were left orphans by the wayside. Hams, pickles, 
{jreseryes and honey were cast aside with reckless prodigality, 
and the detailed forager found his way to his command two 
or three days later with harrowing tales of hairbreadth escapes. 
He usualh- brought in his gun and cartridges, l)ut was minus 
the good hardtack and coffee that filled his haversack when 
he went out witli the squad. 

The writer's detail had just this experience the second day 
out of Atlanta. That night a conference was held at brigade 
headquarters and orders went out for a brigade detail the 
next day. Thirtv men, voKmteers from each of the three 
regiments of the brigade, each under command of a lieutenant, 
all under command of a captain. To this command I was as- 
signed and held until the surrender of Johnston's armv in 
1865. 

This Ijrigade detail was made up that night antl left camp 
before daylight the next morning, nearly every man well 
'^"^ounted. It was well that they got away so early, as very 
few of them could show a good title to the animal he rode, 
but as there was a great deal of swapping and trading horses 



and mules that da}' about every man came back to the com- 
mand with a clear conscience. This was the first brigade 
of organized foragers, and their success in many lines soon led 
to other organizations throughout the army. 

I do not remember of hearing the term "Bummer" applied 
to these men until just before the capture of Savannah, and 
then as a "Boomer," from the almost constant booming of 
the enemy's guns as they were harrassed on all sides, either by 
the foragers or Kilpatrick's Cavalry — but pardon the digres- 
sion. 

The ninetv men and their lieutenants that made up the 
command were time tried and true. If one was killed or 
wounded, which was often the case, another volunteer was 
called from the regiments, and in all cases tlie details were 
kept full. 

After the first day there was but little trouble in keeping 
the command well mounted, and forage being plenty a return 
was made to the command each night; but in many of the 
sparsely settled sections of the country it was two or three 
days before a load could be gathered up, the detail often 
going fifty miles away upon the flanks. Skirmishing with 
parties of cavalry and "Home-guards" was of hourly occur- 
rence, and the word went out from Wheeler's comi-: and 
"Death to all foragers." Eleven of the foragers were cap- 
tured one day and all shot,' their bodies being placed in a 
row by the roadside, that all passing that way might see them 
and take warning. This did not stop the foraging, but had 
the effect of weeding out of the commands the less courageous 
men, and the filling of their places with a more determined 
lot. 

The space of this article will permit only a few of the manv 
interesting adventures of the detail which I commanded; to 



write them all would make a book of comedy and tragedy — 
a book, alternate pages, mirth and sorrow; to-day a feast, 
yesterday a famine; to dine on broiled chicken and turkey, 
to sup on soup of nigger peas; to-day with victorious shouts 
driving the enemy away from mill or roadwav bridges; to- 
night gathered about a shallow grave in the pinev woods, 
where, with his blanket for his coffin, we fill in the place 
with moss and drop the parting tear to a comrade brave and 
true. 

Out upon the flanks one day a party of Wheeler's men were 
found; they, too, were foraging — had their animals well 
loaded with all sorts of plunder, useful and ornamental. 
"We rushed them," to use a modern term, cajjturing the out- 
fit, taking a rich prize to camp that night. 

As the rumor of the advance of the army reached the people 
frantic efforts were made to conceal not only their valuable 
personal effects, plate, jewelry and other rich goods, but also 
every article of food, the com non place of concealment being 
under the floors of the houses, Iniried in the door yards and 
in the swamps, if one was near. With untiring zeal the for- 
agers prodded the ground witli ra n-rod and bayonet. It 
was certainly comical to see a group of these military agri- 
culturists punching the unoffending earth in an apparently 
idiotic way. The universal digging was good for the garden, 
but the results were very distressing to the owners of ex- 
humed property who saw it irretrievably confiscated. One 
day, well out in front of the army, when from around a bend 
in the road came the sounds of a man's voice in prayer. The 
advance guard moved quietly forward until he came in sight 
of a black man kneel'ng by the roots of a ])ine tree with u]> 
lifted hands and face. He was asking God for freedom from 
his bondage, praying to be guided to the Union Army, and the 



voic3 of his devotion filled our hearts with a strange emotion, 
for his tones by turns were sad, then sweetly solemn, then 
wildly glad, as he prayed for the white folks, h's master and 
mistress, to whom all things were bright and fair, to whom 
all things were pure and free; then for his race upon whom 
"the curse of Cain had fallen" like a flail on garnered grain, 
and struck them to the earth. Then echoed through the 
woods prayers that God might guide the Un'.on Army safely 
through all dangers, and on "dis berry road. Lord." The 
advancing tramp of the horses' feet caused him to open his 
eyes when they were almost upon him. His surprise was so 
great that for a moment he was speechless. Then he fairly 
yelled with delight, his prayers were answered, the Lord had 
sent us specially for his deliverance. In reply to mv ques- 
tions, he said: "I'se only a runaway nigger, and days and 
nights in the dark woods and dismal swamps I've skulked 
and hidden away, and I've seen the fires of the midnight 
camp, and heard many times the patrols' tramp, and the 
bloodhounds' savage bay ; but now I'se free. I dun gib ole 
massa de slip, and I'se gwme wid you-alls." 

In the years before the war nearly everv plantation had its 
pack of hounds for tracking runawav slaves. During the 
war these dogs were often used to track the Union soldiers 
who were lucky enough to escape from the rebel prisons. 
Many a luckless fellow has been treed and recaptured by the 
use of these dogs. The foragers never spared any of them, 
but killed them at sight. 

One day we passed a lot of cabins; in the doorwav of one 
of them, some distance from the road, stood an aged negro, 
so old his hair was white as snow. Between his legs there 
crowded a large dog; probably neither dog nor man had ever 
set eves on a blue-coated soldier before, and both seemed 



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dunil) with surprise. A soldier quick to see the dog, raised his 
gun and fired. The dog yelped once, the man dropped upon 
the animal in the doorway and yelled a dozen times. Hear- 
ing the noise I hurried to the spot, and asked, "Who fired that 
shot?'" No one could tell. Going to the cabin I helped the 
colored brother ujj and found the dead dog. "Who killed 
tliis dog?" 1 inquired. "Don't know," said one of the sol- 
diers, "but I guess the nigger fell on h m." 

That same day the "Bummers" captured a plantation rich 
in chickens and other useful articles. While the men were 
busy twisting the necks off the chickens and gathering eggs, a 
troop of Wheeler's men came down on us like a whirlwind, 
and drove the boys to the shelter of the woods near by. Then 
hastv preparations were made for a fight that was sure to 
come for the possession of the place. "The lady of the house" 
came out and offered her help to whip the Yankees. The 
Confederate officer told her that was right. If you want to 
help us get up there on that fence and holler at them and 
dare them to come out for a fair fight. She got upon "the 
top rail" and shaking her fist, shouted, "Oh you miserable 
Yankees. You have taken every chicken on the place." 
"What's that," said the Confederate, "taken all the chickens? 
Then there's nothing left here worth fighting for." And he 
called his men out of the fence corners and rode away, leaving 
the woman on top of the fence, so busy calling names and shak- 
ing her fists she did not notice his absence until the "miser- 
able Yankees" returned to gather up the odds and ends so 
hurriedly left. 

But a few days out of Atlanta, in a sandy, poverty-stricken 
region, a verv thinl}'-populated district, miles away to the 
left of the route followed by that wing of the army, we found 
in a small log cabin two wee bits of girls, one about three, the 



other five years old, the only living objects about the place. 
In the cabin were a few rude housekeeping articles, a bed in 
one corner that would not tempt a soldier out of a horse stable 
as a sleeping place, and a bake kettle, a few gourds and a 
home-made "piggin" were about all to forage on. The little 
ones so nearly dead of starvation and neglect could tell us 
nothing, only "mamma gone, mamma gone." Clothed in 
nothing but thin cotton dresses, black with dirt and grease, 
no underclothing, their little bare legs and arms so grimed 
with dirt that at first we thought them "darkies." 

The little cotton dresses were but bags with a hole left for 
arms and neck. They were as shy as young partridges, but 
food soon won their confidence. A search was made all about 
the premises for other living beings, but the little ones were 
absolutely alone, but for the birds that chirped about in the 
tree-tops near by. The command halted to feed and rest 
their animals, a fire was built on the hearth and the babies 
given a bath with warm water and fed on soldiers' grub; 
their tangled flaxen hair was combed, and well washed thev 
were as pretty a capture as ever made bv the "Bummers 
Bold." 

Resuming our march we tried to give them awav at the 
next cabin a few miles on our route, but that would not work — 
the woman had a house full of her own. She knew nothing 
about these two, and so half a dozen places were visited, 
but with war's desolation in the country none could be found 
to care for our motherless girls. But before night the Bum- 
mers had a wardrobe for them worthy of the command, a 
piece here and there as the cabins were passed, were borrowed. 
Before the night camp was reached, a soldier who had babies 
of his own in Michigan removed the dirty cotton gowns, and 
clothed them in the plunder of the afternoon; "they were just 



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too sweet for anything." They were mounted on a pack mule 
that day; at night they slept cuddled up in a soldier's arms. 
The rain dripped down through the pine trees, drenching 
^\-^e blankets of the tentless soldier, but the little ones were 
as comfortable as "bugs in a rug." These two sisters were 
turned over to the regiment next day; by turns they were 
toted on the backs of the soldiers to Savannah. The authori- 
ties of the city were notified but nobody had time for "the 
little white trash." A lieutenant, wounded and sick, was 
granted a furlough; he took them home to the State where 
they reside to-day in happy homes, beautiful in their mother- 
hood. Although diligent search was made after the war, 
the mystery was never solved. They are simply two of "Sher- • 
man's Bummers." 

As the army approached Savannah the field work of the 
Bummers became very much restricted; then much of the 
time was spent in clearing the roads of fallen timber.' The 
Bummers were everywhere at the front and flank, better than 
any cavalry force. It has always been my conviction since 
those days that a Bummer would put u]) a stronger fight for 
a general assortment of plantation provisions than a whole 
regiment would from pure patriotism and love of country. 
In strategy they developed strong flanking tendencies. If 
the bridge or fords were well guarded, they went up or down 
the stream always, waded or swam the often icy waters, 
then angled across the country, and were soon on the enemy's 
lines of 'communications, and the enemy had to take to the 
woods to save themselves. 

In my own experience the Bummers did their greatest work 
in the Carolinas, but I must confine my memories to only 
one or two more incidents. 

At one place in North Carolina the Bummers found the hid- 



II 



ing place of two hundred good mules and a lot of horses, but 
so situated that a reserve force to guard communications was 
needed. The information was detailed to General Carlin who 
sent a regiment of infantry to assist. There were two streams 
to cross, the Haw river by a scow ferry, a deep and rapid 
stream, and then some distance on the New river, by a foot 
bridge. Between the two streams was a good-sized town full 
of "liquid supplies." Up the country between the two 
streams was Hampton's Cavalry, beyond the New river a few 
miles were the coveted mules. A supply depot guarded by 
convalescents, about twenty-five miles from General Carlin's 
camp. The Bummers crossed the Haw on the scow, swim- 
ming their horses, left a small guard as a lookout in the town, 
passed on over the New river and surprised the supply camp, 
getting all of the stock away safely, but followed closely by 
the enemy. 

Crossing the bridge it was burned, and we were compara- 
tively safe from that quarter, but in the town we "met up 
with a circus." The regiment under command of a major had 
safely crossed the Haw on the scow ferry, having nothing else 
just then to do, accepted the hospitalities of the people, and 
from major to ambulance driver were howling full of apple- 
jack. But the boys all claimed that it was persimmon beer 
that threw down the chaplain. A regiment three hundred 
strong drunk in a hostile town, a deep and rapid stream, a 
scow ferry, camp twenty-five miles beyond; Hampton's men 
coming down the neck, guided by the hospitable mayor of the 
town,who was quick to see a joke. But it was here the Bummer 
showed his loyalty to comrades in distress. The totally dis- 
abled were loaded into wagons, tied upon mules and horses, 
and in various ways taken to the ferry, which by constant 
passages and swimming animals succeeded in getting all across. 



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Scattering shot from Hampton's troopers Inirried the rear 
guard in the last hour of their trying duties. Once across the 
stream, the regiment was left to take care of itself. The 
captured animals were of the greatest value to the division 
trains. 'Tis said that that regiment did not all get back to th^ 
division for three days. The Major's saber dangled from the 
tent pole of the division commander for a time; then came the 
end of the war and all errors of judgment were forgotten. A 
few days before this last occurrence, wliile hunting the pine bar- 
rens "for nubbins of corn," things got very interesting for the 
Bummers. Forage was very scarce and the enemy very 
plenty. One of the men, a daring, dashing fellow, fell l)eliind 
the command. In coming up he missed the road and followed 
the road to the left, that led him suddenly into a company of 
Dibbrell's command. Too late to retreat, he charged single- 
handed into their midst using his Colt's revolving rifle with 
deadly effect. The enemy gave him a volley, four bullets 
hitting him; then a trooper gave him a cut on the head with 
his sabre, unhorsing him. They stopped long enough to take 
his outfit and left him for dead in the woods. That evening, 
while the command was grinding corn at a small wet day mill, 
a woman came in telling us of the occurrence. With a couple 
of men and a horse I followed the woman two or three miles 
through the woods to the place, and found the man not dead 
but very near it. We placed him on the horse, and giving 
the woman a roll of money (Confederate) went back to the 
mill. That man was carried in an ambulance several davs, 
and is living to-day, although badly crippled. 

The day after this occurrence one of the lieutenants of the 
command was ambushed and killed; not being satisfied with 
filling him full of lead they put a trail rope about his neck and 
pulled him up over the limb of a roadside tree, where we found 
him. We followed the trail and squared accounts that night. 



13 

It was a most uncomfortable night, the rain came down in a 
ceaseless pour. We had been out on the flanks all day in the 
worst sort of hick — not enough food in the country to feed a 
crow. Men and animals were tried out, and lost. We fol- 
lowed a black streak through the pine forest,, a trail of mud, 
quicksand and water. Where the road led I neither knew 
nor cared, so long as it led to a place of shelter for the night, 
which to our tired animals it seemed we would never find. 
A faint light in the far distance finally led us out of the forest 
and to a group of cabins and the master's house. The cabins 
were deserted except by one old bed-ridden negro ; thev had 
gone to "jine the army." The light was from the "great 
house" — a faint glimmer of a fire upon the hearth. The men 
soon found dry places for themselves and animals ; one man 
placed on the road "to watch for sounds," and I went to the 
great house thinking I might get a chance to sleep and dry 
my clothing before the fire. To my tap upon the door came a 
faint response " Com? n." Opening the door I passed through 
a hallway into a large well furnished room. Before the fire 
sat a woman, whose face in the dim glimmer of the pine knots 
on the hearth was ghastly, a face of mingled fear and pain. 
I quickly doffed m}'^ water-soaked hat and great coat and said : 
"Madam, by your permission I will build up a fire. I am 
very wet and cold." The fire of pine knots quickly flashed up, 
lighting the room in seeming defiance of the rain and gloom 
outside. "Oh, sir, I see you are not one of our folks. You 
are a Federal soldier." "I am, Madam, a captain of Sher- 
man's army. I do not want to intrude, but with your per- 
mission we will sit here before the fire. My men are in the 
negro quarters for the night. Where are vour people?" 
"Oh, sir, my husband is in Lee's army, but dead or alive I 
don't know. It is weeks since I heard from him, and the ser- 



14 

vants and field hands have all gone like a lot of crazy children. 
They gathered a few articles of food and clothing and have gone 
to Sherman's army, but, sir, I know you are a friend." Then 
she said some things in such a delicate way, that young and 
green as 1 was I could not help l)ut understand. Is there a 
neighbor near?" "Yes, two miles away. A good woman, 
who would come to me if she knew." 

Going out to the cabins where great tires were burning in the 
cliimneys, the men drying themselves out, 1 found one of my 
men who had wife and babies in Michigan. I quickly told him 
all and sent him into the house. Then I saddled my horse, 
found a side saddle in the barn and put that on another animal, 
then with one of the Bummers for company started u]) the 
plantation road to find the neighbor. That was the longest 
two miles I ever travelled, and finally was welcomed by a pack 
of barking, howling dogs, that snarled and snapped at us from 
side, front and rear. With a piece of fence rail I drove them 
away and held a parley with the woman inside, who at first 
said it was "a dirty Yankee trick" to entice a lone woman 
away to destruction. 

Several arguments were used, mingled in with some cuss 
words on the part of the soldier with me, which persuaded 
her to come along. The return trip was made at a good pace, 
our fair prize scolding and crying by turns until we pulled up 
to the great house again. Lew had a roaring fire on the great 
open hearth. A pot of old Government Java "was steaming 
on the coals." Lew and the new arrival held a council of war. 
I put out my horse and lay down long after midnight, before 
a fire in one of the cabins to sleep, drenched to the skin, aching 
in every joint, wondering what would be the Bummers' lot 
next day. 

Going to the house next morning. Lew, the Bummer, sat 



15 

before the fire with a bundle in his arms, singing in a lullaby 
sort of a voice: 

" I'm a raw recruit, in a brand new suit, 
Nine hundred dollars bounty; 
And I've come down from the tar heel town. 
To fight for North Caroliny." 

Far sweeter than the notes the song birds sing were the 
sounds that came from the recruit in response to the song of the 
grizzled old soldier, who, with tears in his manly eyes, was 
thinking of the wife and babies in far away Michigan, whom 
he had not seen in nearly three long weary years of war. 

Someone has said that babies are the flowers of hope that 
grow upon the trellis of our hearts. 

We christened that one with a canteen of applejack, and 
named him Billy Sherman, and took for our reward the family 
carriage loaded with dead pigs, some corn and chickens, and 
other things necessary to the conduct of the army. 

From the Major-General commanding the Department of 
Virignia at the close of the war I received the following 
account of the first soldiers of Sherman's army to reach Wash- 
ington at the close of the war. The country about Washing- 
ton was full of stragglers and thieves, men of both armies. 
One morning early two men put in their appearance on the 
main highway from Richmond. They were splendidly mounted 
on horses well fagged out, dashing young fellows, armed to 
kill, bronzed, tanned, ragged. 

The guard brought them to a halt. "Who are you?" "We 
are the advance of Sherman's army on the way to Washington 
and home. 

They were taken to headquarters, where the General said: 
"How is it you are here while the army has not yet reached 
Richmond?" 



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"Well, you see, General, we have made it our business to 
kcej) in the front; that's how it is." In spite of their ])rotcsts 
they were taken to tlie guard house and kept until the army 
arrived two weeks later. They had started the day Johnson 
surrendered, six days before, passing to the west of Richmond 
to avoid complications. Their outfit was returned to them 
after their release, with an apology. 

It is to l)e regretted that the names and regiments of these 
two men are not known. It was but a fair illustration of the 
enterprise of Sherman's Bummers. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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